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Kristallnacht anniversary reminder of real courage
Only a handful of Germans had guts to stand up to Nazis
November 10, 2009
By Mitchell G. Bard
On Nov. 9-10, 1938, the people of Germany and Austria witnessed the brutality
of the Nazis, and many participated in attacks on the Jews. On that date, which
became known as Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," murderous riots were
orchestrated in nearly every town and village where Jews could be found.
Only a handful of Germans had the courage to stand up to the mobs, protect
Jews or condemn the Nazis for their atrocities.
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling, for example, hid two
sons of a Jewish clothing store owner in his hotel suite. He stayed in his room
pretending to be ill for four days until he heard it was safe for the boys to
leave.
When the Gestapo prepared to set Berlin's Oranienburger Strasse synagogue on
fire, the local police chief, Wilhelm Krützfeld, told them the building was a
historic landmark. Krützfeld was reprimanded for his intervention.
Wichard von Bredow was ordered to burn down the synagogue in Schirwindt. He
put on his army uniform and told his wife, "I'm going to the synagogue in
Schirwindt, where I want to prevent one of the greatest crimes in my district."
When Nazi arsonists arrived at the synagogue, von Bredow was waiting for them
with his revolver. The group left and the synagogue was saved, the only one in
the district that survived. Von Bredow was never punished and remained the
county officer throughout the war.
Pastor Julius van Jan told his congregation in Swabia, "Houses of worship,
sacred to others, have been burned down with impunity — men who have loyally
served our nation and conscientiously done their duty have been thrown into
concentration camps simply because they belong to a different race. Our nation's
infamy is bound to bring about divine punishment." For his forthrightness, Jan
was beaten and his home vandalized. He was ultimately imprisoned.
Unlike these heroes, most people watched their neighbors' homes broken into
and Jewish men taken away to concentration camps. They stood by as synagogues
were set ablaze and Jewish-owned shops were looted. At least 96 Jews were
murdered, 1,300 synagogues and 7,500 businesses were destroyed, and countless
Jewish cemeteries and schools were vandalized. The failure of more Germans and
Austrians to stand up to the Nazis on Kristallnacht, as well as the
unwillingness of the international community to react, set the stage for the
Holocaust.
Mitchell Bard is author of 48 Hours of Kristallnacht: Night of
Destruction/Dawn of the Holocaust — An Oral History and director of the
Jewish Virtual Library.
Swastikas spray painted on walls of Jewish community center in Coral
Springs
By Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel
November 9, 2009
On the 71st anniversary of what is considered to be the beginning of the
Holocaust, workers at a Coral Springs Jewish community center found swastikas
scrawled on the walls Monday morning.
Kristallnacht -- which translates
to "night of the broken glass" -- was a pogrom in Germany and Austria on Nov. 9,
1938. That night, 400 Jews were murdered; almost 30,000 were arrested and sent
to concentration camps; 856 synagogues were destroyed; and thousands of homes
and businesses were ransacked.
"We don't know if it's circumstantial or
there's some linkage right now," said Andrew Rosenkranz, regional director of
the Florida Anti-Defamation League. His agency is offering a $1,000 reward for
information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.
Employees of
the Soref Jewish Community Center at 5601 Coral Ridge Drive said they found the
swastikas and the expression "jews shall die" written in gold spray paint when
they arrived at the center at 8:30 a.m.
The spray paint was to be cleaned
off by late afternoon Tuesday. There are about 120 pre-schoolers, ages 1 to 4,
at the center, said Donald Graw, executive director.
"It's bad enough
when you read about it and you know it exists throughout the world but when you
are impacted directly in your own backyard it certainly hits home that much
greater," Graw said. "It's a despicable act by a coward or
cowards."
Police are investigating and offering a $500 reward of their
own. Police Chief Duncan Foster said authorities don't know yet if this is just
teenage mischief or something more.
He said the vandals used "pretty
strong language."
"Obviously we've assigned detectives to it," Foster
said. "We're taking it real seriously. It was horrific to see that in today's
day and age. This is a community center where small children are. It's shocking
to a community."
Rosenkranz called the act "disgusting and
atrocious."
"The impact is especially atrocious when it's in front of
children," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime
Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS or Detective Edward DeRosa of the Coral Springs Police
Department at 954-346-1214